Accelerometers are common devices that are often used in multimedia applications, such as cell-phones and MP3 players. Accelerometer based user interface for video games are also known and are popular due to the ease and intuitiveness for new users to learn to deal with the user interface. However, other than within these unique applications, accelerometers are not typically used as an input device for consumers to interface with electronic devices. United States Patent Application No. 2008/0214160 describes an accelerometer or motion-controlled sensing to manipulate the output of multimedia files on the multimedia devices, such as cell-phone, and multimedia players. European Patent Applicant No. EP1063837B1 relates to a telephony device that changes its function from telephone to multimedia player, or to a camera, based on the orientation that the device is held. Though these inventions utilize accelerometer-based sensing as user input to manipulate the control of their device, there is no contemplation of using accelerometer based sensing as the trigger to enable a function and in many embodiments of the invention, to use such interface as the only form of user control.
Human beings are tactile in nature; they learn and absorb information quickly by touching. The world is becoming increasingly more complex, and people are constantly finding novel ways to deal with the complexity. One way that people deal with this complexity is by keeping notes, and journals to keep track of the things they need to remember. By coupling the human experience of touching with speech, which is the easiest means for a person to save a message for themselves, a person can quickly and easily retrieve information that would be not only more conspicuous, but also personalized.
Often time, a need arises for a person to know when household objects was last touched or moved. From a practical context, a person may be interested in creating a record when time sensitive items are created. Leftover food is the most common illustration. When leftover food is stored in a refrigerator, the task is performed quickly and typically without thought. Records archiving when the food was last touched would provide an easier reminder of when the food was stored, which would aid in the decision of whether it would be reusable. In a security context, a person may be interested in monitoring if the privacy of personal items or records has been compromised. Monitoring and creating records of when items such as diaries, personal journals, financial books and statements were last touched provides a means to safeguard personal information from tampering, and unauthorized access.
Similarly, a person may wish to leave a message for themselves or others regarding a particular household object when the object is touched or moved. For example, instead of leaving post-it notes to remind one-self to restock a cabinet with certain canned foods, an audio message can be recorded to provide such reminders.
Within this ever increasingly complex world, there is a growing need and desire to attract a person's attention. Conventional labels and markings that denote alerts and safety messages often fail to attract a person's attention, as people are becoming desensitized to these messages due to information overload. Manufacturers and marketers are always exploring new ways to attract a person's attention and communicate their message. There are businesses, such as greeting card companies, whose sole purpose is to facilitate people relaying a message to someone else.
Low cost pre-recorded messaging triggered by unique movements provide manufacturers of products a means to notify users of safety and operational instructions for certain products as they are removed from their packaging. For example, voice instructions to remove locking pins in a printer may be produced when a printer door is opened for maintenance. Similarly, a greeting message may be played as a consumer opens a packaging box for the first time. Low cost pre-recorded messaging provides a new medium of presentation for marketers. Clearly, it is highly effective to make a sales pitch for a product through the salesperson's own voice.
Unique movements, motions, and orientations are the basis for providing information of value to a person. The motion of tilting, the motion of swinging, the motion of shaking, the motion of orienting an object in an upright position, the motion of swinging along an axis such as a door hinge are examples of such unique movement signatures. A diary that was simply moved does not necessarily constitute a security breach that the diary's owner would care to know about. The owner cares to know if her book was read, which involves the book being oriented upright in a reading position. A printer door that outputs instruction upon any movement is likely outputting nonsensical messages, only when the door hatch is being opened should the message be played. A post-it note that has voice output that continuously plays a pre-recorded message upon every touch would only be an annoyance and neglected by a nearby bystander.
A system which outputs an audio message when it detects unique motion, movement, and orientation would desirably address the needs described above.